Improved apparatus for the continuous distillation of petroleum



v J. i. VAUGHAN. Apparatus for the Continuous Distillation of Petroleum.

No. 49,689. Patented Aug. 29, 1865.

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JOHN IVES VAUGHAN, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR THE CONTINUOUS DlSTlLLATlON 0F PETROLEUM, dc.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 19,689, dated August29, 1865.

To all whom it may concern.- the crude substance in a continuous streamBe it known that I, JOHN IVES VAUGHAN, and obtaining therefrom acontinuous flow of of No. at Brabant Court, Philpot Lane, in the thevolatilized or distilled product and residcity of London, England, haveinvented (:eruum, which may be intermittent at the willtain Improvementsin the Manufacture of of the operator and in accordance with the re-Rosin and Resinous Substances, and in the quirements of the articleunder treatment. Apparatus Employed therein, parts of such The apparatusalso .economizes in a very high improvements being applicable to therefinin g degree those distilling or subliming agentsof coal, petroleum,animal and vegetable oils such as steam or gases of various temperaandfats, paraffine and analogous acids an tures--which have hitherto beenemployed to hydrocarbons; and I do hereby declare that distill, sublime,orvolatilize resinous, fatty, or the following is a full and exactdescription mineral acids or hydrocarbons.

thereof, reference being bad to the aceompa- In order that the nature ofmy invention nying drawings, and to the letters of reference may be morefully understood, 1 will describe marked thereon. the apparatus by whichthe distillation is con- The first part of my invention relates to anducted. improvement in the manufacture of or mode In the drawingshereunto annexed is shown oiobtainingproductsfrom resinoussubstances, astill or distilling head or column, Figure l and consists in carrying oncontinuously the being an elevation, and Fig. 2 a section, of theprocess of separating the spirits from the heavsame. ier substancescontained in the crude turpen- A is an inlet pipe for the admission oftine or similar balsams, and refining the residsteam or gases of therequired temperature, to ual resin by distillation without cooling or begoverned in the usual manner by a stoppacking in theinterval between theoperations. cook or suitable valve.

The mode of effecting the separation of the B is the first chamber intowhich the steam, turpentine or spirituous oils from the crude gas, orvapor enters, which chamber may also substance is not material in thispart of my serve as a receiver for the residual products invention,-butmay be accomplished either by during the distillation, which may bethence the use of tire, steam, or superheated steam, or continuously oroccasionally run on as reby boiling in a still containing water,inaccordquired. ance with the method hitherto adopted for the O is a pipeor way to the chamber above, drawing or distilling turpentine. Theresidthrough which the steam passes, and thence uum or resin fromthematerial under treatunder D, the deflecting hood or bonnet E, the ment,after the spirit and light oils have been lower flange of which may bepierced with extracted, is to be run into other apparatus holes orserrated,as shown in the first or lower for the purpose of refining thesame by distilhood, for the purpose of dividing the vapors lation. intosmall streams or jets, so as to be more ef- The form of apparatus ormode of refining fective in action in rising through the subthe residualresin in the first part of my said stance or substances under treatment;or upon invention is not of moment or importance, the or in place of thedeflecting-hood a series of improvement consisting in the economy ofperforated plates or sieves may be placed unheat and labor by using thematerial already der the fluid, so that both the steam or vapor in aheated state, and also in the opportunity may be minutely divided, andalso that an aflbrded thereby to prevent the access of air electricalaction may be thereby set up,whieh to the material under treatment, thequality of I believe materially assists the distillation. the articlesbeing rapidly deteriorated when This is repeated in every superposedvessel or in a heated state by the action-of oxygen. chamber F F" G H I.

The second part of my invention consists in J is a lute-box to form ajoint with the issuethe arrangement or construction and mode of pipe K,which leads the vapors to the conworking of apparatus for the purpose ofdistildenser. Any other usual form of joint may lation, ati'ordingthereby a means of supplying be substituted for this arrangement.

not be carried upward by the bubbling of the L is the inlet-pipe for thesupply of the maher, and passing through the fluid .there conterial tobe distilled. tained, is partially deposited and a fresh poristhedropping-pipe, fitted internally, for tion again taken and carriedforward in like the purpose of conveying the superfluousconmanner,until, having. passed through all the tents of the superposed vessel(when they eX- vessels, it reaches the issue-pipe H in a more ceed theheight of the stand-pipe) to the next highly-purified state. It is thenreadyfor conbeneath. densation and removal in any convenient man- Overthe top of the dropping-pipe M, and ner, and in the case of refined iscooled rapidly leaving a space between the two, it may be y exposure inthip layers, to prevent crystalnecessary to place a cap ofconsiderablylarglization and to allow any surplus or uncomer internaldiameter than the diameter of the bined aqueous vapor to escape. Whenthe enabled, byobservingthe amount distilled and the condition of theresiduum running from the pipe N to supply, with ordinaryjudgment, theexact amount required to keep the work regular and efficient in allpoints.

The apparatus may be attached to an ordinary still, which may be heatedby fire-heat, in which case the still will constitute and take the partof the lower vesselof the series in the foregoing arrangement, the steamor other power being likewise admitted either above or beneath thematerial in the still or lower vessel.

the top of the flange of the bonnet, so that the material shall run frombelow the surface into the vessel below, as the higher vessels containthe lighter substances, and which might rise to the surface of thematerial in the lower vessels, into which it flows, notwithstanding M,Fig. 1, is another form of dropping-pipe, fitted externally, which maybe used in the same manner as the last mentioned. These pipes must befitted so that the charge shall steam near its base. On this plan astop-cock ment may be modified by constructing a bend dipping below thesurface of the fluid, having also a small hole in its apeX.

is a pipe by which the residual products may be drawn off continuouslyand automatically without the escape of steam or vapor.

upon by dry external heat.

In the distillation of substances which are or stop-cocks, to draw ofthe whole of the charge when necessary, or for occasion ally observingthe condition of the contents of the vessels.

Having thus described the apparatus employed in the second part of myinvention, I proceed to relate the mode of working the same.

The crude material is supplied in a liquid state, or heated to a properdegreetand freed from extraneous matter, or otherwise suitably preparedfor distillation in the usual manner, to one of the chambers bypreference one of the upper vessels-bya pipe, L, fillingthe compartmentsattached thereto to the level of the top of the dropping-pipe M. Theexcess of the measurement which may be admitted falls through thedropping-pipe M into the vessel immediately beneath, filling that vesselalso, and so on. The steam or other distilling agent is then admitted bythe pipe A, which pipe may be fitted to any convenient part of the ordry heat only, the vapor of the material under treatment passed throughthe column or upper vessel in like manner.

When it is found advisable to distill the ma terial to dryness, as inthe case of candle tar or pitch, petroleums, oil, oil-pots, and othergreases, it may be advisable to connect more than one primar vessel,still, or retort to the column, that the connection between a retortgous substances, where a greater number than two products are obtainedby the employment of one set of chambers or column for each pro duct.Each column, being supplied by its own ing-bonnet D or by other meansunder the particular heat, 1s calculated to produce the material,volatilizes a certain portion of the contents of that chamber, thevaporfrom which is carried with the steam again upward and under thedeflecting-bonnet D of the next chammay be superposed or conjoined inany convenient manner, and when it may appear advisable to assist theaction by fire-heat it maybe conducted round the vessels by finesarranged in the brick-work; but I prefer to inclose the vessels as faras possible in a non-conducting material, and to depend solely upon theheat directly applied internally by the means previously described.

It will be perceived that by the foregoing process, as the material inthe vessels is gradually exhausted of its finer volatile constitucutsand becomes more foul and dense by the removal of thelighter portion,the remainder will require more heat to distill it. This is provided bythe exhausted charges gradually falling toward the greatest heatsupplied to and contained in the lower vessel. At the same time theheavy and foul contents of the lower vessels yield but an inferiordistillate; hence in passing upward the distillate is purified,deposited, repuri ed, and passed on. he level in eachvessel being at alltimes uniform, with ordinary vigilance on the part of the attendant whomanages the supply of the crude material and heating-power, it followsthat the distillation will be continuous and the product uniform incolor, quantity, and quality--a result which has not, I believe, beenhitherto obtained in the distillation of hydrocarbons or fatty vegetableor mineral acids. In order to obtain a constant and regular working,Iinsert thermometers or pyrometers in convenient parts of the apparatus,to indicate to the attendant the exact temperature employed.

A considerable saving is effected by this mode of treating the beforementioned substances, both in labor and material, by reason of theimmediate and consecutive distillation, without loss of heat or exposureto atmospheric influence, thereby securing the most highlypurifiedproduct as a result with a minimum of residuum; and also when operatingon paraftine or animal or vegetable fats I obtain a maximum of solidproduct having a comparativelyigh melting-point.

I may observe that for the successful performance of the foregoingoperations it is ab solutely necessary that the superheating apparatusbe of suflicient power and of good construction, as I am aware that mostof the superheaters employed in this country for the purposes ofdistillation are comparatively far too small and inefficientfor theamountof work assigned to them, and hence the general necessity for theuse of additional heat applied to the still externally.

Having thus fully declared and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention, and also the manner in which it is to be performed, I wish itto be distinctly understood that I do not claim the use of any partthereof for the purpose of the distillation of ethylic alcohol oranalogous substances similarly soluble in water; nor do I claim the useof superheated steam for the distillation of resin and resinoussubstances or fatty animal or vegetable matters and hydrocarbons, forall which purposes it has been long since employed; neither do I, inregard to the second part of my said invention, claim the exact form orsize of the apparatus before described, as the same must necessarily bein some degree varied with the nature of the substances to be operatedupon', but

What I consider novel and original, and therefore claim as constitutingmy said invention,is--

1. The treatment of resins and resinous substances by continued orconnected operations, whereby the spirit is distilled from the crudesubstances and the residual resin volatilized or distilled into aproduct which becomes solid at the ordinary temperature of theatmosphere without packing or cooling the resins between the operations,as hereinbefore substantially set forth and described, or any meremodifications thereof.

2. The construction, combination, arrangement, and method of working ofthe apparatus for the continuous distillation of resin and resinoussubstances, coal, petroleum, bone, oil, paraffine, and other analogousacids and hydro carbons, as hereinbefore substantially set forth anddescribed,or any mere modification thereof.

In witness whereof I, the said JOHN IVES VAUGHAN, have hereunto set myhand and seal this 3d day of May, in theyear of our Lord one thousandeight hundred and sixtyfive.

JOHN IVES VAUGHAN. [L. s.}

Witnesses:

JOSHUA NUNN, A. O. ROWLAND.

